I do not own or profit from the characters of Mindhunter - I just love the show.
As the car spun out wildly, Bill initially had no idea what was happening, only feeling intensely that he was frightened. The car slowed to a stop, and he realized that he and Holden had just been hit by another vehicle. With horror, Bill looked over and saw that it was Holden's side of the car that had been hit. The glass in Holden's window was shattered but not broken, presumably hit by his partner's head.
With adrenaline suddenly pumping through every inch of his body, causing him to feel almost as if he were vibrating, Bill tried to rouse the stunned Holden.
"Holden!" He said, almost too loud in the ringing silence.
Holden's eyes were closed, his head tilted slightly towards the shattered window. Bill could see blood trickling from a wound just above his right eye - where his head must have made contact with the window.
"Jesus, Holden! Are you okay?" Bill reached over and put a gentle hand on Holden's shoulder. But the boy didn't wake at the touch.
"Shit!" Bill swore loudly. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door. The man who had hit them was already out of his car, yelling.
The yelling between the two men finally roused Holden, who opened his eyes to the blurry scene before him. At first, Holden didn't realize where he was, or what had happened. He blinked, trying to clear his vision. He heard a strange noise and looked to his right, where the glass of the window was starting to fall loose, raining pieces into his lap.
Holden held up his hands, trying to focus his double vision. What had happened?
"Holden!" And then Bill was at his window, now broken open. "Are you okay?"
Holden turned his head to face Bill, when a sharp pain in his neck shot down through his shoulders and into his back. He winced, feeling more pain in his head as he did so.
"Jesus," Bill swore. "I'll be right back. I'm going to call for an ambulance." Bill started to jog towards the nearest house and yelled at the man in the street, who was still fuming. "Watch him! And make sure he doesn't move!" The man looked angry and confused, but walked up to Holden's side of the car anyway.
Bill turned and then ran up the steps to the first house he saw. The door was opening as he approached. A woman stood in the doorway, staring out at the wreckage in the street. She must have heard the crash.
"Ma'am, excuse me," Bill said. "May I use your phone to call the police?"
"Yes, of course," the woman replied, opening the door wide for Bill to enter.
When Bill returned to Holden, he was lying back with his head against the headrest, his eyes closed. Bill wrenched the door open. He examined Holden quickly, noting that the only injury appeared to be the one above his eye.
"Can you hear me, kid? The ambulance is on its way."
Holden opened his eyes and attempted to nod, but it was difficult. His vision was still blurry, but he had finally realized that he and Bill had been in a car accident. Bill seemed to be okay. Suddenly, Holden felt that he should exit the vehicle and help in some way. He made a motion to use Bill's shoulder, as he was kneeling on the ground, to leverage himself out of the car.
"Whoa now, just stay there," Bill said, gently pushing him back into his seat. "Just relax until help comes." Bill swallowed the lump of guilt that was rising in his throat. "Talk to me. How are you feeling?"
"I - I'm okay," Holden managed. He blinked again, his vision starting to clear. He could hear sirens in the far distance. "I'm okay," he said again, to reassure Bill, who was looking at him worriedly.
"I'm so sorry," Bill said. "I didn't see the other guy coming."
Holden was feeling more alert now. "It's okay," he said. He kept his hand on Bill's shoulder. Panic started to rise in his chest, but he took a deep breath, telling himself that everything was alright now. They would be alright.
By the time the paramedics arrived, Holden was feeling much better. Besides the pain in his head and neck, he was uninjured. The paramedic had helped him out of the vehicle, and he sat on the bumper of the ambulance while they took his vitals.
A flash of light in his eye, as they checked his pupils. The light hurt his eyes, but he kept them open for their test. He didn't want to go to the hospital. He had just been stunned at first, but now he felt much better. He looked over and saw Bill talking to a police officer and the other man involved in the accident.
"I'm okay," he told the paramedic. "Just a sore neck. I don't need to go to the hospital."
The paramedic looked skeptical but nodded. "Will you follow up with your doctor in a few days, just to see how you're doing?"
Holden didn't have a doctor in Virginia, but he agreed. Shepard would probably make him go anyway, once he got wind of this. He might even force him to take a few days off.
The paramedic was bandaging the cut above his eye as Bill walked up.
"How is he?" Bill asked the paramedic, while looking at Holden.
"He'll be okay," the medic answered. "But he needs to follow up with a doctor in a few days. He probably has a concussion, but there isn't much we can do for that at the hospital."
Bill nodded and watched the medic finish. Once he was done, the medic and Bill both took Holden's arms and helped him step down from the ambulance.
Holden swayed as a wave of dizziness ran through him, but Bill had kept hold of his arm and helped steady him.
"Easy, kid," Bill said. "The police are going to drive us to the hotel. The car will be towed. Does that sound okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Holden answered. He wasn't used to having this much attention on him, and he suddenly felt self-conscious. Holden walked with Bill slowly over to the police car, focusing on taking one step at a time.